AFSCME’s Saunders: ‘Relief is here for our everyday heroes’

WASHINGTON — Today, the Biden administration announced a major overhaul of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. The administration’s plan calls for a dramatic expansion of those eligible and reviews of previously rejected PSLF applications, which will result in forgiveness for tens of thousands of borrowers. In response, AFSCME President Lee Saunders said:

“Relief is here for our everyday heroes who have dedicated their lives to strengthening our communities. For too long, public service workers, many of whom could have earned more working in the private sector, encountered a maze of changing rules, unreliable loan servicers and zero accountability or assistance when seeking debt forgiveness.

“Today’s actions by President Joe Biden and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona will ensure that the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program finally delivers on its promise to alleviate crushing student loan debt for more than half a million public service workers. Today’s changes also mean that the public sector will be better able to recruit and retain skilled professionals because they will no longer have to seek other work to pay down their loans.

“After years of pushing for Congress and past administrations to fix this program, AFSCME is elated that the courageous workers who keep our communities running every day will get the help they deserve.”